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DIRECTIVE

On a number of measures to enhance the management of chemicals and antibiotics used in food production and trading

Recently, the Ministry of Fisheries, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Ministry of Health have, in coordination with concerned ministries and branches and People’s Committees of provinces and centrally run cities, made great efforts in implementing the Prime Minister’s Directive No. 07/2002/CT-TTg of February 25, 2002, on enhancing management of the use of antibiotics and chemicals in food production and trading; the work of food hygiene and safety has been improved, contributing to the protection of consumers’ health, expanding markets and increasing the value of export agricultural and aquatic products.

However, consumers’ and markets’ requirements for epidemic prevention and food safety have rapidly changed and become more and more stringent. In recent time, a number of lots of aquatic exports had been suspended from circulation for inspection of residues of Fluoroquinolone- group antibiotics; several countries had even sanctioned bans on Vietnamese aquatic products, causing economic damage and affecting the prestige of Vietnamese agricultural and aquatic products. In order to better and better guarantee food hygiene and safety for consumers and make Vietnamese products conformable to international standards, the Prime Minister hereby provides the following instructions:

1. To enhance propagation, explanation and guidance for producers and consumers to well understand national and international requirements and standards on food hygiene.

2. To prohibit organizations and individuals rearing agricultural and aquatic products to use chemicals or antibiotics on the lists of those banned from use in food production and trading, issued by state management agencies. Human-use medicines or industrial chemicals must not be used in animal disease prevention and treatment; veterinary drugs containing antibiotics or chemicals used for terrestrial animals must not be used in treatment of aquatic animals, or vice versa; chemicals must not be overused on food crops; the use of bio-technologies is encouraged.

3. To intensify the inspection and supervision from the production, circulation on the market to the export and import of products. The Ministry of Fisheries and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development shall assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the General Department of Customs in, enhancing the inspection of the alerted antibiotic or chemical residues for exports lots.

4. To enhance international cooperation on plant and animal quarantine; to seek for investment projects on clean food production and the support of inspection equipment.

5. To improve the assignment of tasks and coordination among relevant ministries and branches, and the decentralization of powers between central agencies and local administrations.

The above-said tasks are assigned to ministries and branches as follows:

a/ The Ministry of Trade shall assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Ministries of Agriculture and Rural Development; Fisheries; Health; Industry; Science and Technology; and Natural Resources and Environment in, making, adjusting and publicizing annual lists of antibiotics and chemicals banned from import or use or restricted from use in food production and trading;

b/ The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Ministry of Fisheries shall regularly update producers on medicines and chemicals banned from use by importing countries and on conditions set by major import markets of Vietnamese agricultural and aquatic products. Through agricultural and fishery extension systems, to guide peasants and fishermen to carry out production strictly according to technical processes and inspect the quality of products before they are processed, and guide exports-processing enterprises to enhance the inspection of products before exporting them, ensuring food safety and hygiene standards, preserving the prestige of and maintaining markets for Vietnamese agricultural and aquatic products;

c/ The Ministry of Health shall assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with concerned ministries and branches in, publicizing hygiene standards for food imported into Vietnam; coordinate with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in enhancing the control of farm produce, foodstuffs, antibiotics and chemicals used in food production and trading right at border gates, aiming to protect consumers’ health and the domestic environment;

d/ The Ministry of Foreign Affairs shall, together with the Ministry of Trade, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Ministry of Fisheries, and the Ministry of Health, mobilize relevant countries to conclude agreements on animal and plant quarantine;

e/ The Ministry of Planning and Investment, together with concerned ministries and branches, shall attach importance to mobilizing financial supports from other countries and international organizations in order to raise the capability of food hygiene and safety quarantine;

f/ The Ministry of Home Affairs shall assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with concerned ministries and branches in, studying and building an organizational model for food safety and hygiene management in the most effective manner, then submit it to the Prime Minister for consideration right in 2006. For the immediate future, the Ministries of Agriculture of Rural Development; Health; Finance (the General Department of Customs); and Defense (the Border Guard Command) shall coordinate with one another in reorganizing the work of quarantine at border gates in order to ensure the close control, while not causing troubles to enterprises;

g/ The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Trade shall assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Ministry of Fisheries and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in, continuing to take prompt measures to collect information from, contact and negotiate with competent agencies of importing countries in order to settle problems as soon as possible to minimize difficulties and damage to the export of Vietnamese agricultural products;

h/ The Ministry of Culture and Information shall guide the mass media in widely disseminating food hygiene-related issues among the population;

i/ Presidents of provincial/municipal People’s Committees shall direct local administrations of all levels and functional agencies in widely disseminating this Directive and relevant legal documents; direct the formulation of a planning on food safety raw-material areas and organize the implementation thereof; regularly inspect the observance of the provisions of law on food hygiene and safety assurance and the implementation of this Directive in localities under their management.

This Directive replaces the Prime Minister’s Directive No. 07/2002/CT-TTg of February 25, 2002, and takes effect 15 days after its publication in “CONG BAO.”